High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
JSSC CGL case: HC denies govt time, next hearing September 18
The Jharkhand High Court has rejected the state government’s request for four weeks to respond in the JSSC-CGL cancellation case, ordering a sealed-envelope status report instead, with the next hearing on September 18.
The Jharkhand High Court has denied the state government additional time in the JSSC-CGL cancellation case, with the next hearing set for September 18.
The government had sought four weeks to respond but was granted only two additional days, along with an order to submit a sealed-envelope status report.
The court’s interim stay on cancelled appointments under Advertisement No. 10/2023 remains in place, protecting 99 candidates in a case filed by Akash Gaurav and 98 others.
The matter also covers cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, JSSC CGL-2023, CDPO and Food Safety Officer exams.
The cancellations followed CM Hemant Soren’s August 17 announcement after a 24-day student protest, with a separate Supreme Court plea also seeking a CBI probe.
The cancellations trace back to an August 17 announcement by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, made after a 24-day student protest over alleged recruitment irregularities.
The government simultaneously scrapped all examinations conducted by blacklisted agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited and ordered a CID probe into recruitment exams dating back to 2014.
A separate committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been tasked with framing rules to prevent future examination irregularities.
In parallel, a Supreme Court petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan is separately seeking to transfer the recruitment-irregularities investigation from the state CID to the CBI.
Successful JSSC-CGL candidates who had already secured appointments staged protests, including a human chain and torchlight demonstrations, after the cancellation was first announced.
The Jharkhand High Court’s stay applies to appointments made under Advertisement No. 10/2023, granting temporary relief to 99 candidates who had already been appointed.
The stay order was originally issued on September 8, with the interim protection for the appointed candidates remaining in effect since.
Petitioner Akash Gaurav and 98 other affected candidates are represented by senior counsel and former Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, along with advocate Shreya Mishra.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0